Carniadactylus
Encyclopedia
Carniadactylus is a genus of pterosaur
which existed in Europe
during the Late Triassic
period. The genus contains a single species, Carniadactylus rosenfeldi.
, though it was significantly smaller. Like Eudimorphodon, it is notable for its complex multi-cusped teeth. Despite their similarities, the size difference between these two pterosaurs likely meant that they occupied different niches and relied on different food sources. This is supported by studies of their teeth. While similar in construction, the teeth of Carniadactylus show little to no wear, unlike the larger, fish-eating Eudimorphodon, which may have been able to chew its food. The smaller Carniadactylus probably fed on smaller, soft-bodied prey like worms and insect larvae.
paleontologist Fabio Marco Dalla Vecchia named a new species of the genus Eudimorphodon
: E. rosenfeldi. The specific name honours the finder
Corrado Rosenfeld. The holotype
was MFSN 1797, a partial fossil skeleton with parts of the skull and lower jaws, but lacking the tail, found near Udine
.
It soon became clear however, that in cladistic
analyses E. rosenfeldi was not the sister taxon of the type species
of Eudimorphodon: E. ranzii. This made, dependent on the precise analysis, the genus paraphyletic or polyphyletic.
To avoid this Dalla Vecchia in 2009 created the new genus Carniadactylus. The type species is Carniadactylus rosenfeldi. The genus name is derived from Carnia
, the name of the region the fossil was found, and Greek daktylos, "finger", a reference to the wing finger typical of pterosaurs. A second specimen, MPUM 6009, is the paratype
, consisting of an almost complete skeleton that however has been largely preserved as an impression only. It is a third shorter than the holotype, that itself indicated a wingspan of about seventy centimetres. The disparity is by Dalla Vecchia explained as intraspecific variability.
According to earlier analyses by Alexander Kellner
, Carniadactylus is related to Peteinosaurus
within the Dimorphodontidae
. David Unwin however, placed it into the Campylognathoididae
. This is confirmed by a new analysis by Dalla Vecchia that shows Carniadactylus as the sister taxon of Caviramus
schesaplanensis.
Pterosaur
Pterosaurs were flying reptiles of the clade or order Pterosauria. They existed from the late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period . Pterosaurs are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight...
which existed in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
during the Late Triassic
Late Triassic
The Late Triassic is in the geologic timescale the third and final of three epochs of the Triassic period. The corresponding series is known as the Upper Triassic. In the past it was sometimes called the Keuper, after a German lithostratigraphic group that has a roughly corresponding age...
period. The genus contains a single species, Carniadactylus rosenfeldi.
Description
Carniadactylus was similar in appearance and anatomy to its close relative EudimorphodonEudimorphodon
Eudimorphodon was a pterosaur that was discovered in 1973 by Mario Pandolfi near Bergamo, Italy and described the same year by Rocco Zambelli. The nearly complete skeleton was retrieved from shale deposited during the Late Triassic , making Eudimorphodon the oldest pterosaur then known...
, though it was significantly smaller. Like Eudimorphodon, it is notable for its complex multi-cusped teeth. Despite their similarities, the size difference between these two pterosaurs likely meant that they occupied different niches and relied on different food sources. This is supported by studies of their teeth. While similar in construction, the teeth of Carniadactylus show little to no wear, unlike the larger, fish-eating Eudimorphodon, which may have been able to chew its food. The smaller Carniadactylus probably fed on smaller, soft-bodied prey like worms and insect larvae.
Classification
In 1995 the ItalianItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
paleontologist Fabio Marco Dalla Vecchia named a new species of the genus Eudimorphodon
Eudimorphodon
Eudimorphodon was a pterosaur that was discovered in 1973 by Mario Pandolfi near Bergamo, Italy and described the same year by Rocco Zambelli. The nearly complete skeleton was retrieved from shale deposited during the Late Triassic , making Eudimorphodon the oldest pterosaur then known...
: E. rosenfeldi. The specific name honours the finder
Finder
Finder may refer to:* Finder , a core component of the Apple Macintosh operating system, is the graphical representation of the computer's file system* Finder , a comic book series by Carla Speed McNeil...
Corrado Rosenfeld. The holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
was MFSN 1797, a partial fossil skeleton with parts of the skull and lower jaws, but lacking the tail, found near Udine
Udine
Udine is a city and comune in northeastern Italy, in the middle of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic sea and the Alps , less than 40 km from the Slovenian border. Its population was 99,439 in 2009, and that of its urban area was 175,000.- History :Udine is the historical...
.
It soon became clear however, that in cladistic
Cladistics
Cladistics is a method of classifying species of organisms into groups called clades, which consist of an ancestor organism and all its descendants . For example, birds, dinosaurs, crocodiles, and all descendants of their most recent common ancestor form a clade...
analyses E. rosenfeldi was not the sister taxon of the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
of Eudimorphodon: E. ranzii. This made, dependent on the precise analysis, the genus paraphyletic or polyphyletic.
To avoid this Dalla Vecchia in 2009 created the new genus Carniadactylus. The type species is Carniadactylus rosenfeldi. The genus name is derived from Carnia
Carnia
Carnia is a historical-geographic region of Friuli, whose municipalities all belong to the province of Udine, which is part of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region.It covers the western and central part of the mountainous region of the Province of Udine...
, the name of the region the fossil was found, and Greek daktylos, "finger", a reference to the wing finger typical of pterosaurs. A second specimen, MPUM 6009, is the paratype
Paratype
Paratype is a technical term used in the scientific naming of species and other taxa of organisms. The exact meaning of the term paratype when it is used in zoology is not the same as the meaning when it is used in botany...
, consisting of an almost complete skeleton that however has been largely preserved as an impression only. It is a third shorter than the holotype, that itself indicated a wingspan of about seventy centimetres. The disparity is by Dalla Vecchia explained as intraspecific variability.
According to earlier analyses by Alexander Kellner
Alexander Kellner
Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner is a Liechtensteinian/Brazilian paleontologist, a leading expert in the field of the study of pterosaurs....
, Carniadactylus is related to Peteinosaurus
Peteinosaurus
Peteinosaurus was a prehistoric reptile genus belonging to the Pterosauria. It lived in the late Triassic period in the middle Norian .-Name:...
within the Dimorphodontidae
Dimorphodontidae
Dimorphodontidae is a family of early "rhamphorhynchoid" pterosaurs named after Dimorphodon, that lived in the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic....
. David Unwin however, placed it into the Campylognathoididae
Campylognathoididae
Campylognathoididae is a group of early "rhamphorhynchoid" pterosaurs named after Campylognathoides, that lived in the Late Jurassic. The family Campylognathoididae was named in 1967 by Oskar Kuhn, originally as the subfamily Campylognathoidinae....
. This is confirmed by a new analysis by Dalla Vecchia that shows Carniadactylus as the sister taxon of Caviramus
Caviramus
Caviramus is a genus of "rhamphorhynchoid" pterosaur from the Late Triassic lower Kössen Formation of the Northern Calcareous Alps of Switzerland....
schesaplanensis.